AUTISM-RELEVANT SOCIAL ABNORMALITIES IN MICE EXPOSED PERINATALLY TO EXTREMELY LOW FREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS

Questo studio analizza l'incidenza di disturbi dello spettro autistico (ASD) che è in aumento nella nostra società anche se le cause rimangono in gran parte sconosciute. 

In questo studio sono stati esaminati gli effetti di una esposizione a basse frequenze ELF EMF su alcuni  topi usati come cavie.

Le conclusioni portano a risultati favorevoli alla ipotesi di un nesso di causalità tra l'esposizione a campi ELF e ASD, anche se gli autori si raccomandano repliche dello studio con ulteriori prove.

--------------o--------------o--------------o--------------o--------------

Author

Ibrahim Alsaeed^a, Faisal Al-Somali^a, Lama Sakhnini^b, Omar S. Aljarallah^a, Rayan M.M. Hamdan^a, Saleh A. Bubishate^a, Ziyab Khan Sarfaraz^a, Amer Kamal^a

^a Department of Physiology, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, P.O. Box 26671, Manama, Bahrain

^b Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box 32038, Bahrain

Highlights

• Effects of perinatal exposure to ELF–EMF on mice social behavior were examined.
• Mice exposed perinatally to ELF–EMF displayed autism-relevant aberrant behavior.
• The results are suggestive of causality between EMF and autism.

Abstract

The incidence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been rising, but the causes of ASD remain largely unidentified. Collective data have implicated the increased human exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) in the increasing incidence of ASD. There are established biological effects of extremely low-frequency (ELF) EMF, but the relation to ASD is not investigated enough. In this study we examined the effects of perinatal exposure to ELF EMF on some ASD-relevant behavioral parameters in mice. The EMF was delivered via a Helmholtz coil pair. Male BALB/C mice were used and divided into exposed and control groups (n = 8 and n = 9, respectively). Tests were used to assess sociability, preference for social novelty, locomotion, anxiety, exploratory behavior, motor coordination, and olfaction. The examined mice were all males and exposed to EMF during the last week of gestation and for 7 days after delivery. The exposed mice demonstrated a lack of normal sociability and preference for social novelty while maintaining normal anxiety-like behavior, locomotion, motor coordination, and olfaction. Exposed mice also demonstrated decreased exploratory activity. We concluded that these results are supportive of the hypothesis of a causal link between exposure to ELF–EMF and ASD; however, replications of the study with further tests are recommended.

FONTE : INTERNATIONALJOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROSCIENCE

FONTE : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24970316